and that was a bigger issue than the family ties. I have colleagues with Israeli family and they have clearances and US-only citizenship.

Many times these decisions are not made by the government but rather by contracting firms who employ some folks who are just not very good at their jobs or know what the requirements are when they stop the clearance process for the wrong reasons. The worker being investigated will never receive a reason from the government for why their clearance was rejected.

"Your clearance was rejected because you have Israeli family" is not something anyone is ever going to receive from the government.

If Pincus has an Israeli passport, that would explain it. You cannot hold citizenship in a foreign country and get a US clearance.

but it depends on the level of clearance and on the country that the second passport belongs to.

While someone's unlikely to get TS or certain specific SCI clearances, dual citizenship or family/financial ties to a Five Eyes or NATO member wouldn't be the automatic disqualifiers for other clearances that they would be if the country in question were China, Russia, or Israel.

From Wall Street Journal
http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-security-concern-due-to-divided-loyalties-1450310897

Dr. Pincus underwent a routine interview to obtain a security clearance for civilian employees. As part of the interview, he made note of his familial connections in Israel. Two of his siblings had moved there in the 1980s, though neither worked for the Israeli government. His elderly mother, now suffering from dementia, had also moved there late in life, so her daughter could help take care of her. And one of Dr. Pincus’s children, Avi, had served briefly in the Israeli army before tragically succumbing to a drug overdose at an early age.

As for Dr. Pincus’s own connections to Israel, they amounted to three visits in the past decade, including one for his father’s funeral. He has no personal friends in Israel, no financial interests or holdings there, and no desire to ever hold an Israeli passport. He calls his mother on a weekly basis, and for a while handled her monthly rent and utilities bills. That’s it. The security investigation concluded: “There is nothing in subject’s background or character that would make him vulnerable to blackmail, extortion, coercion or duress.”
...
Since the Obama administration came to office, there have been a total of 58 cases in which Israeli ties were a significant factor in the decision. Of these, 36 applicants—an astonishing 62% of the total—lost their appeals and had their clearance applications denied. For comparison, there has been just one case of a French citizen losing an appeal and being denied a clearance, and zero involving British citizens.
--
This is the from the OPM Statement of Reasons: “You have weekly telephone contact with your mother and brother in Israel. You added your mother, sister and brother may have contact with neighbors in Israel. Foreign contacts and interests may be a security concern due to divided loyalties or foreign financial interests, may be manipulated or induced to help a foreign person, group, organization or government in a way that is not in U.S. interests, or is vulnerable to pressure or coercion by foreign interests.”

http://online.wsj.com/media/Pincus2.pdf

So, seems to be a case of the administration cracking down on Jews with family in Israel. I think the hope is that by making life more unpleasant for American Jews with ties to Israel, we will be able to reduce their support for Israel.

Last edited Sun Dec 20, 2015, 03:33 PM - Edit history (2)

You've probably heard the saying "we have no allies, only enemies and potential enemies."

I bet they listened in to his phone calls. That would not be in the OPM statement.

Any call leaving the US or coming into the US is fair game for our intel agencies. I bet they even investigated his family and the neighbors in Israel. I know when I got my clearance, they talked with all my family, all their friends, and all my friends.

I think they dug up something of concern in Israel. They won't go into specifics about what they may have found. Israel has spied on us, and will continue to spy on us. They'd be crazy not to.

Mr Pincus would be better off without a security clearance. He may not think that now, but in time he will. You lose your privacy and some of your freedom. I had a lot of travel and immigration restrictions put on me after my service. If I wanted to write a book, it would have to be cleared by the intel services.




BTW, WSJ is not a good source since Murdoch removed the wall between news and opinion. Before, You knew the news was straight news, and that they prided themselves for the integrity of their reporting. When Rupert too over, the independence of the news was destroyed.

To be a dentist? Listening in on his calls? Digging up things of concern in Israel? I think they implied he had a financial interest because he pays his mothers nursing home there.

I can understand why he is unhappy that the u.s. doesn't want his services.

When I was coming out from under minor surgery, my wife put sunglasses on me and had me do my Stevie Wonder impression. I don't do impressions, but I did it. This was on an elevator with strangers. I sang "My Cherie Amour" for them. I can't carry a tune in a bucket. I apologize for any damage I may have inflicted on these poor souls.

It's not just his mother, it is other family members and their friends might have jeopardized his chances. There might have another applicant with the same qualifications and less complications. If they are to err, it is best to err on the side of caution.

"Allies" in the intel world doesn't exist. Like I pointed out, we have no allies, only enemies and potential enemies. All it takes is one questionable character in his circle of friends, or his family's circle of friends. One friend of mine lost his because he married a foreign national. If your parents were foreign nationals, that can get you denied. Even Fraternizing with foreign nationals was forbidden.

The process is not perfect Hanssen and Pollard are two examples of the FBI and others screwing up.

I was Morse Intercept for the Army Security Agency, stationed for 3 years at the 4th USASA field Station Asmara Eritrea. (Then Ethiopia) The clearance process caused some discomfort for some of the "old country" people subjected to questioning about me. One thought I was in trouble and at first refused to speak to the FBI. I appreciated her effort to protect me.

I would have thought this would be top secret clearance. Seems that you were much more likely to deal with sensitive info than a dentist. The dentist scenario you describe is about like, or not even like, a bartender who serves soldiers.

His parents and two sisters moved to Israel some years ago but no one has served in the military.

Last time he visited Israel was for his father funeral. He talks to his mother, who suffers from dementia, once a week on Skype.

And, yes, this is precisely what this dentist heard from the government.

He was first cleared: “There is nothing in subject’s background or character that would make him vulnerable to blackmail, extortion, coercion or duress.

But then, it came from the OPM :

“You have weekly telephone contact with your mother and brother in Israel. You added your mother, sister and brother may have contact with neighbors in Israel. Foreign contacts and interests may be a security concern due to divided loyalties or foreign financial interests, may be manipulated or induced to help a foreign person, group, organization or government in a way that is not in U.S. interests, or is vulnerable to pressure or coercion by foreign interests.”

"Dual loyalty" is a code name for anti-Semitism. Don't kid yourself.

You may want to check your facts before you pose misleading information.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12231956

Having close family in foreign countries does not automatically disqualify you from getting a security clearance, although it does complicate matters. They have to make certain that you don't have conflicting loyalties or that your family members can't be used against you by a foreign intelligence service.

They probably denied him a clearance for some other reason and he's just being a jerk.

Why in the world does a retired dentist need a security clearance?

to a security clearance, and denial of one shouldn't require an explanation. I would be curious to know why a dentist needs a security clearance, how denial of one constitutes discrimination, and why the denial of one is of such interest to the American Jewish Committee and to the Wall Street Journal.

"Foreign influence" is a common reason for denial of security clearance to people who hold dual nationality, have non-US national family members or spouses, etc. (Dual citizenship and possession of a non-US passport are enough to flag someone for "foreign influence/foreign preference"; someone who holds dual US/Israel citizenship, for instance would be expected to surrender their Israeli passport, and using it for travel to Israel would be an automatic denial.) The same "divided loyalty" reason is given for people who have family members and close personal associations with Pakistan, China, Germany, Canada, any number of countries (the denials are public record, you can Google for them). Jews aren't being singled out, here.

The United States military denies security clearance on even a whiff of "foreign influence". My brother-in-law was denied... working for a British defense contractor at the time (and in the UK, not here in the USA), candidate for working on a US military project - denied clearance because he's also a New Zealand citizen.

Which are frequently a reason for denying security clearance.

He was originally cleared:

“There is nothing in subject’s background or character that would make him vulnerable to blackmail, extortion, coercion or duress.”

But then it went to higher level and it was denied:

“You have weekly telephone contact with your mother and brother in Israel. You added your mother, sister and brother may have contact with neighbors in Israel. Foreign contacts and interests may be a security concern due to divided loyalties or foreign financial interests, may be manipulated or induced to help a foreign person, group, organization or government in a way that is not in U.S. interests, or is vulnerable to pressure or coercion by foreign interests.”

I am sure there are thousands in the military with family connections in other countries. We are, after all, a nation of immigrants. But to isolate a Jew... well there is only one conclusion.

"Close and continuing relationships with family in foreign country" are also a standard reason for denial.

See here, for instance: http://www.dod.mil/dodgc/doha/industrial/

And nope, there are plenty of cases of denial of security clearance to Canadians and Brits and Australians and Germans for similar reasons.

They probably do, even if they are not aware of them.

Do Rubio and Cruz have relatives in Cuba?

And, of course, Obama has family members in Kenya. This, of course, is what the teabaggers have been saying all along, that he is a "foreign agent."

No, Kenya does not matter, Cuba does not matter, but Israel does.

Jonathan Pollard

One of the worst espionage disasters in history. His secrets went right to the Russians through Israel.

For those who haven't read up on him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollard

haven't heard of him

Too bad he didn't.

Definitely there is a vibe here

Some Israeli pilots were prosecuted for refusing to attack an American ship. They were afraid the Liberty crew had intercepted embarrassing info. The transmitters were the focus of much of the bombs and torpedos. LBJ didn't stand with the sailors, and wouldn't present the CMOH to the ship commander. It was done in a hanger by an underling. I was to the south of them at a listening post in Eritrea, we all knew of the attack, during the attack. I kept that secret for 30 years. Declassified after 30 years.

**William Loren McGonagle (November 19, 1925 – March 3, 1999) was a United States Naval officer who received the Medal of Honor for his actions while in command of the USS Liberty when it was attacked.

The Medal of Honor was presented to him at the Washington Navy Yard by the Secretary of the Navy, rather than at the White House by the President.

So, as John Thurber commented in a obituary article in The Los Angeles Times on March 11, 1999, "[w]hen Navy Capt. William L. McGonagle received his Medal of Honor, it was not bestowed on him by the president, as is customary, or even presented at the White House. McGonagle, who died last week at 73, was given his award in the relative seclusion of a shipyard near Washington by the Navy secretary"**


It was domestic and foreign politics that probably removed his spine.
http://history.stackexchange.com/questions/9988/where-was-the-u-s-president-when-captain-mcgonagle-was-awarded

LBJ accepted the Israeli version of the attack, not the version of the American survivors of the deadly attack. That was an insult to the servicemen because we have their back, and we expect to receive the same from our leaders. Loyalty is a two way street.

I would have followed Col Lewis Millett into hell because he was loyal to us. LBJ, I would have opened the gates to hell for him so he had easy entry. http://www.historynet.com/born-to-fight-colonel-lewis-millett.htm He was my commander at Ft Devens.


BTW, I still support Israel's right to exist, I just don't like the Likud.

Same with Rachel Corrie.

Not quite the same thing as standing in front of a bulldozer (and the West Bank isn't a war zone).

The USS Liberty was well known in the region, and in no way did it resemble the much smaller Egyptian horse transport the Israeli government said they saw. The Liberty flew the American flag, and it's number was plain to see. Even after the first flag was destroyed, a new, larger American flag was displayed. Lifeboats were targeted, and attempts at sinking the boat was made, but failed. They wanted no witnesses. It was obvious the Liberty with its antenna array was equipped for spying, not fighting.



BTW, for hours before the attack Israeli planes buzzed the ship, and saw our sailors sunbathing on deck. The sailors waved to the pilots according to the late James Ennis who was on the bridge at the time wrote at length about the attack. He was loyal his men to the end.

The data on the ship's speed, together with its direction, indicated that it was an Egyptian destroyer fleeing toward port after shelling Arish. The torpedo boats gave chase, but did not expect to overtake their target before it reached Egypt. Commander Oren requested that the Israeli Air Force dispatch aircraft to intercept.[23][30] At 1:48 pm, the Chief of Naval Operations requested dispatch of fighter aircraft to the ship's location.[32]

The IAF dispatched two Mirage III fighter jets that arrived at Liberty at about 2:00 pm.[33] The formation leader, Captain Iftach Spector, attempted to identify the ship.[33] He communicated via radio to one of the torpedo boats his observation that the ship appeared like a military ship with one smokestack and one mast.[34] Also, he communicated, in effect, that the ship appeared to him like a destroyer or another type of small ship.[34] In a post-attack statement, the pilots said they saw no distinguishable markings or flag on the ship.[34]

etc.

The conclusion of the qualified people who put extensive resources into investigating the incident is that it was friendly fire due to mistaken identity under fog of war. As we see with the US activities in the ME, there is an incident of this type about once a month. This week, US fire killed 9 Iraqi soldiers, for example. Once one enters CT land and is open to any bizarre motivations on the part of all actors and investigators, there is no limit to the number of alternate explanations one can come up with to suit one's predelictions.

The official story was that they thought it was an Egyptian horse transport that could have been used for moving troops. The Ship was clearly marked, and flying an American flag. Numerous overflights by Israeli surveillance craft could not mistake the Liberty. How could they have missed seeing sailors sunning themselves on deck, or the sailors waving at the planes.

A destroyer would have guns, not antenna arrays.

No guns. They did have one machine gun. That does not make it an Egyptian destroyer.


Course plotted from logs. BTW, 12 miles is the limit of territorial waters.



I was working all during the war, sometimes 16 hours a day. We were very keyed in to everything going on. That was our job. Don't dismiss this as a conspiracy theory. It happened as the crew of the Liberty described, not as the spin masters want you to believe.

I am not sure I can tell everything I know, but I can tell you we were scared and hurt over this incident. We didn't get angry until the coverup. LBJ threw us under the bus. He even put a gag order on all the survivors.

A comparison of the three ships:

My brother-in-law at one time worked for BAE Systems. When it came to anything with their contracts with the US Government, he was not given the necessary clearances to do the work involving those contracts. His crime? Being a dual British and New Zealand citizen. Had he been a plain Brit, it would have been okay... the dual citizenship was apparently a problem.

It's not restricted to Israel. Or people with ties to Judaism (through practice, or family history of practicing their faith).

He has two siblings in Israel and a mother with dementia. So this would be more like you not getting the clearance due to your brother in law.

We only know his side of the story, and the understandably vague OPM report.

they just found (from his own statements) that he has regular contact with his relatives in Israel, and without regard to their activities, that was enough. most Israelis are not part of Mossad. His mother with dementia is not it either. Yes, you can come up with a possible theory that there is hidden information and this isn't just because he is a Jew with relatives in Israel, but that seems to be just what it is. If that is just what it is, and his brother is an accountant or something, do you think that's ok?

You never tell what you know. If an adversary thinks their firewall is secure, you are not going to tell them any different.

I have not seen any evidence that Pincus was denied clearance due to his religion. They had their reasons, and it appears the foreign connection played a big part. They don't like spooks or those having access to sensitive data having any contact with foreign nationals. I know that from my time in the service. Since I got out they have tightened the fraternizing rules to include the grunt on the ground. Even visiting hookers can get you in deep shit.

I had a company bay mate that was Buddhist, and he kept it secret because we were at war with a predominantly Buddhist nation. Another guy in my barracks was Zoroastrian. That was a secret that I only found because I walked into a room during prayer. He was such a nerd, but that was cool. He was a family friend of Van Heflin, that made him little bit cooler.

I was Atheist and I kept that hush hush. Jews and Catholics had no such worries. When I joined I told them I was Atheist, but the guy questioning me put me down as protestant.

I wouldn't read too much into this. The guy didn't get the job. To tell the truth, I'd never take a job that requires a security clearance. It demands too much in privacy and personal freedom.

That would be a higher-priority change, at least in my mind...